The Remains of 55 U.S. Soldiers May Be Flown Home from North Korea Next Week

The U.S. and North Korea reportedly have come to an agreement: The remains of 55 American soldiers may return home to this country as early as next week.

The development represents an important opportunity for closure for many military families, as LifeZette reported in June. An unnamed American official revealed the latest news to Stars & Stripes. “They’re going to use our cases for the remains and give them back to us,” the official told the military publication.

On Monday, the U.S. and North Korea held working-level meetings in the border village of Panmunjom to coordinate the details of the military remains’ return, according to The Korea Herald.

The agreement would mark an achievement in the ongoing talks between the U.S. and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), 65 years after the two countries signed an armistice.

The United States would be permitted to fly the military remains in containers out of North Korea on June 27, the anniversary of the armistice, according to the agreement. It would be the first repatriation of U.S. military remains from North Korea since 2007, Stars & Stripes claimed.

However, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency also reported the return of the remains of Korean War veteran Army Cpl. Albert E. Quintero in May 2018 for a full military burial with honors in Long Beach, California.

President Donald Trump said after the historic June 12 summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un that military remains were “sent back” to the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said later in June that the U.S. had not yet “physically received” them.

The two parties sat down for the first meeting between generals in nine years on Sunday. North Korea also agreed to continue searching for U.S. military remains, as many outlets reported, including The Guardian.

North Korea also agreed to continue searching for U.S. military remains.

“Working-level meetings between U.S. and North Korean officials will begin on Monday, July 16, to coordinate the next steps, including the transfer of remains already collected in the DPRK,” Pompeo had said in a statement on Sunday.

A formal end to the war between the two nations is proposed for this year, North and South Korean officials said in April.

And on June 12, during the summit with President Trump, Kim agreed to recover the remains, “including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.” But the process has been slow, Stars & Stripes reported.